Cedar roof cleaning

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Hi folks, I have a client who has a large cedar roof that needs to be cleaned. I've reached out to Sullivan Roof, but he hasn't gotten back to me in a week. Suggestions for non-pressure cedar roof remedy? Anybody???

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Hi folks, I have a client who has a large cedar roof that needs to be cleaned. I've reached out to Sullivan Roof, but he hasn't gotten back to me in a week. Suggestions for non-pressure cedar roof remedy? Anybody???

Thanx in advance.

Mark Dadian

Hallo Mark ! We see very few Cedar Shake Roofs here in Tampa. However, I have probably cleaned at least 35 of them in my 20 plus years in this business. I have always used a shingle roof strength mix of SH, water, and soap. I always told the customers that the cleaning would lighten the color of the roof a bit, and often did a sample on a small part of the cedar roofs to show them. I never once had any customers tell me no.

Cedar Shingles, Wood Siding, etc. (2 STEPS)DO NOT USE Sodium Hypochlorite or Bleach. Sodium Hypochlorite or Bleach will permanently damage the wood breaking down the cellulose or structure of the wood and remove the natural colors and tones.1. FIRST STEP~CLEAN 6 ounces of Sodium Percarbonate per gallon (Sodium Percarbonate purchased locally in a 50 pound bag, white powder) 1 ounce of Caustic Soda or Sodium Hydroxide (Purchased locally in a 50 pound bag, white powder, granules or flakes)Slo Mo Softwash Surfactant Mix THOROUGHLY Rinse THOROUGHLY2. SECOND STEP~NEUTRALIZE DO NOT USE SAME SPRAYER FOR BOTH STEPS. Combination of two chemicals in first and second steps will cause combustion to occur. 6 ounces of Oxalic Acid Powder or Granules 99% per 1 gallon of WARM or HOT Water (Purchased locally in a 50 pound bag, white powder; Active ingredient in Rust-Aid)Slo Mo Softwash Surfactant Mix THOROUGHLY

Cedar Shingles, Wood Siding, etc. (2 STEPS)DO NOT USE Sodium Hypochlorite or Bleach. Sodium Hypochlorite or Bleach will permanently damage the wood breaking down the cellulose or structure of the wood and remove the natural colors and tones.1. FIRST STEP~CLEAN 6 ounces of Sodium Percarbonate per gallon (Sodium Percarbonate purchased locally in a 50 pound bag, white powder) 1 ounce of Caustic Soda or Sodium Hydroxide (Purchased locally in a 50 pound bag, white powder, granules or flakes)Slo Mo Softwash Surfactant Mix THOROUGHLY Rinse THOROUGHLY2. SECOND STEP~NEUTRALIZE DO NOT USE SAME SPRAYER FOR BOTH STEPS. Combination of two chemicals in first and second steps will cause combustion to occur. 6 ounces of Oxalic Acid Powder or Granules 99% per 1 gallon of WARM or HOT Water (Purchased locally in a 50 pound bag, white powder; Active ingredient in Rust-Aid)Slo Mo Softwash Surfactant Mix THOROUGHLY

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THAT is THE proper process for cedar roofs and for wooden decks and privacy fences etc. It's called "3 stepping" and has been an industry standard for as long as I've been and business, and much longer I suppose.

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THAT is THE proper process for cedar roofs and for wooden decks and privacy fences etc. It's called "3 stepping" and has been an industry standard for as long as I've been and business, and much longer I suppose.

Keep in mind that 3 stepping is very labor intensive! The last one we did took us 3 full days (including staining). It had a $6000 price tag, not including the cost of the stain.

Excellent research effort Jeff.

Thanks Ted... I know ton's about staining and their procedures... WOW... Staining a cedar roof must has been very labor intensive... and uncomfortable... Did you apply the stain with a pump sprayer and then wipe down... OR... hand apply and wipe...???

Staining all of the cabinetry that we have built in the years... LOTS of it ... Staining is a BIG JOB when you are staining large areas... !!!

It's good to know that this procedure works as it should for cedar roofs... Definitely going into the memory bank... !!!

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4 gallon Top Draw backback sprayers for the stain. BTW - we used a stain product specifically made for cedar shakes. Far too labor intensive for me. We're fortunate to have TONS of asphalt roofs so we typically pass on the cedar jobs.

Jeff - many shake roofs needs lots of repairs long before the client calls on us; Metal shims under the split shakes, ridge cap shakes in disrepair, end rot on shakes etc. The last one we were asked to quote was so punky, there's no way we'd even touch it.